55

Ivan

"I don't know places to go but you surely do, so you will be the one picking where we are going." Jewel said and i stopped walking. Shit, I forgot what I promised her. I was planning to drop her at home and go take care of some work which had been pending since yesterday. The thought was since she was feeling better now, I could leave her alone at home.

"Jewel, I have some work to do." I opted telling her.

"So?" She asked with this strange smile to let me know that we could not have a change of plan.

"So maybe we could do that another day?"

"But you said..."

"I know what I said," I didn't let her remind me.

"Are you going to break your promise?"

"No. I'm just going to postpone fulfilling that promise."

"You are the worst," she said and freed her hands from mine, heading out of the building.

I hurried after her,"Come on, try and understand."

"Do you have any idea how much I've been thinking about us going to a Zoo park or a museum or something."

"A museum? You want to go to a museum?" I couldn't believe her. I thought she was more exciting.

"I don't know, anywhere is good, and I should let you know that visiting a museum is not boring. I've watched some archeology series and..."

"Jewel," I called her to stop her from speaking because I just thought of something.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go to a park? An amusement park?"

"Ohhh, yes." She was fascinated when I mentioned it but it made me glad. I could hit two birds with one stone.

What I was planning to do was risky but it was just a little risk. I was going to take her with to where I had things to take care of and that way, I would fulfil the promise I made to her and also check on the work I had to deal with.

"What's the theme of this amusement park?" She asked me when we got to the car. I was glad she was no longer sad.

"It's a general themed amusement park, it's actually old and by old, I don't mean cranky old, I mean old as in historical. You like history, yeah?"

"Yes. Did you know that whenever a king dies in some part of my country, seven heads are needed to bury him?" She said after I opened the door for her and it surprised me that she would keep such information in her head.

"Oh my, that's not very good a thing to know, is it?"

"Seven heads? So seven people are killed? Does it still happen?"

"No. I don't think so. I read that it was abolished a long time ago but who knows if it still happens." She replied and got into the car.

I locked the doors automatically when I got in through my side and met a question from her."Be honest, is it weird of me to know history?"

"No, it isn't. It's just unusual." I replied and started the car.

"O my god, Unusual is the nice word for weird." She said and rubbed on her face. It made me laugh because who ever told her that?

"You should ask your new friend? Ask her if it's weird to know about things that happened long ago." I advised.

"Yeahhh, about that..." She trailed and bit her lips. My eyes almost got stuck staring at them when she did that but I couldn't, I had to keep my eyes on the road.

"What happened? She doesn't want to be friends with you?" I asked her, making a guess of the most likely situation.

"No. I didn't get a chance to even talk to her today. She looked like she was in a bad mood so I avoided her." She pouted, seeming unhappy about what she said.

"You could have approached her and asked what the problem was. That could have been a great way to solidate a friendship with her, you know."

"You think so?" She rubbed her palms against each other. Was she cold?

"Are you cold? Do you feel cold?" I asked her and she nodded."Why didn't you say so?" I scolded and turned up the heat in the car to help warm her up.

"You should start to wear gloves too to prevent the cold," I told her and she shrugged. "If you have an issue, you let me know, okay? Whether you are cold or feel sick again, any time, let me know."

"Okay Dad." She said and laughed after. I smiled."Oh, I almost forgot to tell you."

"What is it about?"

"We were given these assignments to do at home and it involves research."

"Why am being told?"

"Well, because for the research, WHICH I HAVE TO DO,"She put stress on that."I need to use a laptop or a phone or a tablet but preferably a laptop."

"I am not giving you access to any of those devices you mentioned." I thought I should inform her on time. Did she know she was a kidnapped victim! Kidnapped individuals didn't use laptops or phones.

"But it's for an assignment, it's compulsory. The professor said we all had to do it." She complained.

"We will talk about that later when we get home." I wanted to put the matter off. She would probably forget it before then.

We got to the park and I reeled the car into a good parking spot. She didn't wait for me to come get the door for her this time m, she got down from the car by herself, smiling and beaming with happiness. I hope I didn't have to ruin that happiness too soon.

I took out my gun from where I had kept it in the car and put it in my jacket pocket then I locked the car, inhaling some good air as a form of prayer that things didn't go wrong.

"Oh, it's beautiful." She stood at the parks entrance.

"It is." I confirmed. It was beautiful but if only she knew the things that went on underground here.

We walked into the park and Jewel turned her neck to every corner that there was an entertainment stand. Someone bumped into her.

"O my gosh, I'm so sorry." Jewel apologized first because she was truly at fault and not watching where she was going but I found it suspicious.

I tried to catch the person's face but couldn't because the person was wearing a face cap. I started to have second thoughts about bringing here with me.